One Day
by OnTheTardis
Summary: After a freak accident with the TARDIS, Donna has somehow come back with all her memories restored, but as much as the Doctor is happy about her sudden return, he now has to decide if he should stick to the original timeline or change things to keep her w
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all, I just wanted to inform those who had been reading strangers in paradise, I am writing the second story and will probably be posting it in chunks of chapters so hold tight. Thank you.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. :(**

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Shutting the TARDIS door with a quick snap, the Doctor threw his long brown coat over one of the coral branches near the ramp. He ran a hand through his unkempt hair, the days of no rest and his clothes wrinkled from running from patient to patient. But, in the end he had found the antidote for the virus, saving everyone.

He began to set the controls allowing the TARDIS to return to the vortex. The Doctor looked up at the main column of his ship, the familiar whirling filling his ears; he shoved his hands into his pockets.

He never really knew what to do with his hands when there was nothing to do.

The Doctor sighed softly, looking around the console room, he wondered what to do next, maybe grab a bite to eat and relax for a while. After all he did deserve it. And a nice peanut butter and banana sandwich was beginning to sound to good him.

Walking down the hallway he turned into what he thought was the kitchen when his foot bumped into a bureau. Looking down he found light purple carpet instead of the white tile that was in the kitchen.

He realized that his ship had replaced the kitchen with Donna's old bedroom.

The Doctor looked at the bed that he had made a few days after she left, a few of her belongings that could never be returned to her lay on top of the blankets. Trinkets that she had picked up from various places to remind her of the 'best of times' they had shared.

He smiled at the pictures that hung on the wall, some were of him alone and others had the both of them. His eyes lingered on one of them that showed her with the snow mountains of Treina, his image had his arm around her shoulders. They both were smiling and had plenty of reason to; it had been a perfect day.

The Doctor continued to stare at himself and his arm around her, it had been at the time a friendly gesture, but with her gone and with him fully aware of his feelings; the Doctor knew that those feelings were so much more.

But, it was too late. She was gone, living her life; without him. Just as it should be. He had caused her too much grief, and even though he had told her that they had had the best of times, there was heartache in their adventures as well.

He had done so much damage to her and in the end he had taken to easy way out, erased her memories of him and what they had done. Yes, that was his answer for everything it seemed, when it became too much to handle, he would just forget about it, push it from his mind.

It was easy with Donna to forget, because it was as if it was never there to begin with.

The Doctor reached out and gently touched the picture, his finger brushing up against the glossy surface, trying to remember the feel of her skin; the warmth of her cheeks, the softness of her lips, the firm grasp of her hands.

Now, he had several pieces of paper with her image printed on it, a poor substitute for the real thing.

But, there was nothing to be done about that. He could never see her, talk to her, hold her. Even this empty room he tried to stay away from, too many memories to keep to himself. And it seemed that the TARDIS was missing the rambunctious redhead, leading him here; wanting him to always remember the woman who saved not only the universe, but him as well.

Shaking his head and sniffing lightly, the Doctor stepped away from the wall, his hand brushing along the bureau, as he went to the door.

"Okay, I want to get to the kitchen, will you please put her room back where it was." The Doctor addressed his ship, looking up at the ceiling as he spoke.

A gentle hum was his reply, and the Doctor stole one last look at the room before closing the door. He walked half way down the hall and back again, the brown wooden door of Donna's room was replaced with an open archway that led into the kitchen.

"Thank you." The Doctor walked in and went to the kettle on the stove, wanting tea with his sandwich that he really no longer wanted.

Filling it he set it back down again, lighting the burner and turning to fetch a cup from the counter, Donna's dark blue one with the stars and sun printed on the side was still next to his, he had not the heart to store it away, not yet.

He went ahead and scooped the sugar into the bottom of the cup, and set it down on the table as he went to fetch the milk from the refrigerator; he found it amazing that as much as he actually ate in the TARDIS, he had so much food. Of course, most of it was Donna's, she had stuff to snack on that he made his brows rise.

Taking out the milk he closed the door, the Doctor's eyes looked up at the top of the fridge where the tin of biscuits were and with he other hand he grabbed them as well.

He smirked when he heard Donna's voice in his head telling him to get his hands off her biscuits.

Setting them both on the table next to his cup, he turned back to the stove waiting for the whistle to sound.

But the next thing he heard was not the kettle, but the TARDIS, two loud shrills sounded before the ship lurched, throwing him to the floor. He heard a loud crash of glass breaking around him and the kettle rattling on the on the metal stovetop.

And as soon as the chaos began it was over.

The Doctor groaned as he moved to a sitting position, he flexed his left wrist back and forth a few times, he looked around the kitchen, nothing was really amiss from the TARDIS having shaking the place terribly. He looked toward the spot where he heard the nearest crash, his cup was shattered and the sugar strewn across the floor.

Getting up, the Doctor shut the stove off his eyes looked at Donna's cup, it had not faired during the commotion. Picking it up he inspected the crack on the side, it ran from the top to almost the bottom and the handle was completely destroyed. He sighed knowing that it was beyond repair. With a twinge of sadness he figured now was a good as time as any to get rid of it and move on.

But, now he had to get to the control room, seeing that the TARDIS just didn't go willy nilly and start flinging about, especially when it was secure in the vortex.

He went out into the hallway and started to run towards the console, with a quick inspection of the room, he couldn't see any loose wires or damage that wasn't going to interfere with the controls.

He went over to the monitor and scanned the readings, wondering what exactly happened to cause his ship to lose control. It looked like the TARDIS had slipped out of the vortex and managed to get into the path of an eclipse near the planet Xfenus.

"Okay, that's not possible."

He said as he looked up at the main column as if looking for some explanation, and of course found none, her mechanics seemed to be functioning normally, the center pulsing with artificial life.

"Doctor, what the hell was that?"

He turned towards the voice that was so familiar and yet couldn't possibly be.

Donna stood in the doorway, her red hair disheveled, her eyes tired with sleep and her face twisted with confusion and annoyance.

The Doctor's eyes widened with surprise, his throat felt clenched as the emotion of seeing her before him rose immensely. His feet made one stumbled step forward, "Donna."

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**So what do ya think? Reviews are welcomed as always. See you next time! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 for your enjoyment. **

**Disclaimer: sigh...I wish it were mine. **

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"Doctor, what the hell was that?" Donna asked him again, her eyes searching for any idea of what could have happened to the TARDIS and waking her violently.

The Time Lord had planted his feet on the metal grating, his eyes locked onto her blue eyes, his mind moving a million miles a minute. He was running through every scenario, trying to understand what exactly had happened as well.

One of the foolish concepts was that he was almost ready to believe; it was simple that he must have hit his head when he fell, and this was nothing more than a beautiful, fabricated dream.

"Doctor?"

His head snapped up, and this time Donna was close enough to touch. He closed his eyes as her longed for scent surrounded him; the enchanting scent of vanilla and cherries was so vivid, that if this were a dream he would have to give himself credit for his exact remembrance of her.

Swallowing, he dared to open his eyes, wondering if she would be gone and he would find himself lying on the hard tile of the kitchen.

However, as he saw the glow of the TARDIS' lights, she was still there, her eyes worried and her forehead creased, her bottom lip turning white from being bitten down by her teeth.

He chuckled softly, his hand come up and slowly touched her cheek, praying that she would not vanish before him. Again she did not, the Doctor mused that if she wasn't real; this dream was certainly becoming one of his favorite ones, no matter how confusing.

With a quick, swift motion he drew her up into a hug, tight and well-known and deeply missed. His face nestled in the crook of her neck; locks of red hair surrounded him.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice laced with concern, her grip on him firm but comforting.

The Doctor nodded, sighing slowly, feeling her pull out of the embrace, despite him wanting to hold her a while longer.

She looked at him, stroking his cheek with the back of her fingers, "Are you sure you're okay?"

He wanted to nod again, but he didn't, something wasn't right, if she wasn't a dream or an hallucination than it had something to do with the eclipse and the TARDIS being in direct contact with it, and it puzzled him still how his ship had slipped out of the vortex.

All these questions and no real way to solve them.

And of course there was Donna.

The Doctor moved away from her, his hand rummaging through his hair; tugging at it as he tried to figure it out.

She couldn't be here and there she was, standing before him with all of her memories intact; and he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

He had to know where in her timeline she currently now residing, he needed to know how long he had.

The Doctor sat down on the jump seat looking at her; she looked so beautiful; how he had missed her, as he stared at her he wondered how he had managed to live without her. He felt the TARDIS had become stable with her here.

'This isn't right.' The Doctor thought.

He let out a long breath, "This isn't right. You shouldn't be here." He said aloud, as he looked back at the monitor.

"I shouldn't. Do you want me to leave?" Donna asked, as she already started to retreat.

The Doctor looked up quickly, sliding off the jump seat catching her before she disappeared, "No, no, no, no. I didn't mean that, I just meant…" He shook his head, "I don't know what I mean."

Donna's hand came up and cupped his face, "Just tell me what's going on."

He looked down at her, swallowing again and much harder; her hand on his face her thumb stroking his skin was causing small, wonderful shivers to work down his spine.

If it had been a more ideal time, if she had not just magically appeared back into his life, he would have told her then his feelings for her. But, however, as much in his life it was not the time.

He took her hand from his face and held it for a moment, the feel of their hands joined once more was a sensation that he could not describe, a swell of emotion hit him suddenly and powerfully. His eyes became glazed with unshed tears; he didn't know how much this simple gesture had been truly desired.

Out of all the things he had missed from her was this, her and him just connected by holding hands.

With a heavy feeling in his stomach, he released her hand, he turned away from her so he could wipe his eyes with the back of his hand, he cleared his throat before he spoke, "I need to know some things, Donna."

She nodded wordlessly, waiting for him to continue; which she knew that he was going to when acted like this.

"Donna," He began, his composure calm once more, "I need to know what was the last thing we did."

Donna smirked, her face blushing to a light shade of pink, "Well, the last thing we did, until you had a craving for a banana, was having a quiet night to ourselves." She took a playful step forward.

The Doctor caught the movement and threw a hand up, "Wait a minute, us? Is that what you're saying?"

Donna stopped and nodded, "Yes, don't you remember?"

He didn't hesitate for him to shake his head, "No. But, okay, before that. What did we do?"

She sighed in almost frustration, and he could feel what she must have been feeling, his hearts going out to her wanting to assure her that everything was okay, but at the moment he couldn't convince himself of that.

"Well, we went to the planet…I don't know how to say it, er…Xenofinus?" She met his eyes trying to get him to help with what she was trying to say; hoping he knew what she was talking about.

"Xfenus?" He offered, looking back at the monitor screen, it was the planet they were hovering over.

She nodded, "Yea, we went to the markets there, made a day of it, and then we came back here."

The Doctor sighed, this was getting him no where; it was just as well he didn't have to know what they had done during the day.

Donna came up to him, "Doctor, what's going on, and don't tell me it's nothing 'cause I know something is up."

He smiled, "Can't get anything past you." His hand came up and brushed a piece of hair away from her face, "I'm going to ask you some things, okay, and even if they sound weird I just want you to humor me, okay?"

There was a slight nod from her, even though her eyes held her confusion still, but she kept her mouth closed and waited for him to speak.

The Doctor ran through his mind, trying to recall if he had ever taken her to Xfenus before, he could recall so he would start with one of their first adventures he was sure she would remember.

Donna nodded with recollection when he told her about the Ood, the Library, and when he mentioned Midnight she nodded as well, but it was when she spoke.

"Yes, I remember all of that, Doctor."

He nodded this time, "And do you remember Shan Shen? Meeting Rose?"

"Yes."

"What about the Daleks?"

She gasped, "Yes, Doctor. It's been about two months since then."

"Two months?" The Doctor repeated, he wondered how that could even be possible, what about the meta-crisis? The part where Donna saved the world and almost died because of it? How did they manage to get around him not getting rid of her memories to save her?

So many questions and not enough information to tell him the answers, and to make matters even more confusing all thought went from his mind as Donna's mouth descended down upon his.

It wasn't as if he had enough of his plate already.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter 3...please enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, I wish I did.**

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The Doctor woke in his bed, his mind trying to recall the events that had taken place earlier in the day.

Donna had returned, her memories intact; with no recollection of her touching his hand, having her become infused with the Time Lord mind, nor having her memories taken away. Of course, she wouldn't remember the latter no matter what.

He turned over to look at his bedmate, she was still asleep, her one arm under her head the other had been holding his when they went to bed.

It had not gone far, only kisses and fond embraces before sleep came upon them.

He ran a finger down the bridge of her nose, causing her to shift slightly and emit a soft sigh. Slowly she opened her eyes, and smiled.

"Hello." She whispered, stretching out her arms over her head.

"Afternoon, I'm not sure exactly what time it is." He greeted her.

Donna recoiled back and smirked, "Oh sure, the lord of Time doesn't know what time it is." She wrapped her arm around his neck she pulled him to her, kissing him soundly.

The Doctor acted on pure emotion, not denying that this had been what he wanted for ever since she had left him. His love for her was so intense that sometimes when he thought about it, it scared him. It had been and was so much more than he ever felt with Rose.

Which when he asked Donna about Rose, she seemed to be get quiet. It turned out that after the events at Midnight, they had grown closer, well his other self. That Rose returned to her old life, with her mother and gave them her own personal blessing.

He worked out that Donna was from some alternate timeline, where they had managed to save the Earth from the Daleks and yet were able to stay together. She told them that yes, she had been in the TARDIS when it was set to be destroyed, but she had not touched his severed hand. She in fact had flown the TARDIS to and from the Crucible herself.

He was amazed by her, but then again it was never short of amazing for Donna Noble to do anything brilliant.

Pulling away from her, he grinned the way her blue eyes seemed to sparkle in the dim light; it seemed that it was going to be impossible to let her go, but he had to eventually.

He had stumbled upon this timeline by mistake; the eclipse had somehow given him a parallel world. a world that was completely wrong, and yet, it felt as if he couldn't give it up.

The Doctor was a rational man in many aspects, but he was stubborn as well. And rationality and stubbornness were not good bedfellows.

Donna was moving closer to him, not noticing his body tensing involuntarily; she was everything and more to him. She was Donna, and that alone should have made him shrug off real life. He was okay living the fantasy; denial was what he was good at.

It was his friend's, Ben Franklin's, advice "Don't do today what you can put off till tomorrow."

He nodded to himself, ignoring Donna's puzzled look, he loved her, that was that.

The Doctor cupped her cheek, again wanting to express his feelings he had kept within him for so long, but just like before he kept his mouth shut. It was one of those things that he knew he would regret later, but as for now, he figured that words not spoken would work out in the end.

Rose Tyler lived a happy life with his 'other self' because of the words he had not said. It had turned out all right for her.

For Donna he was sure was the same, she lived a life not plagued with the fact that he loved her; nor weighed down by the memories…okay bad example.

But she lived and that mattered.

Now, he just had to decided what was for the best, he knew that sooner or later this timeline would become unstable, and would probably tear a hole in the vortex; for all he knew.

Was he really going to risk the whole of time and space just to stay with her a little while longer?

Wasn't she worth it?

Kissing her tenderly once more, the Doctor got up out of bed, straightening his suit and ignoring Donna's questions.

It couldn't be helped, he had to make things right, as much as he wanted to hold onto his wonderful desire, his hope; he had to leave her.

He remembered that Ben's words were not as he thought; he could not deny the facts any longer.

He entered the console room, rounding the controls, he took no notice of the TARDIS' dreadful hums, she was angry with him. And finally he understood that this had not been an accident, no; she had moved from the vortex, put herself in direct contact of the eclipse and brought Donna to him. A gift for him.

And as angry as he was at her for her actions, he would be forever grateful to her.

"What are you doing?"

He looked up at Donna, looking more beautiful than he had ever seen her.

"I'm sorry, Donna." He said, moving his attention back to the monitor, pressing buttons and figuring out when the next eclipse would take place. He was sure that if the eclipse started it all, than it could bring him and her back to where they belong. Both of them alone.

Donna took a precarious step forward, not liking the look in his eyes, she had seen that look before, in Pompeii, when he told her that he could never go back to save them.

It hadn't been hard to figure out that the 'them' meant his people, the ones that died in the Time War. And if he couldn't save them, then Donna came to understood that the Doctor's powers of control were limited, and when he did have the power; situations ended mostly good.

But, Donna did not like the look in his eyes.

It seemed that he had figured out something was wrong and fixing it was causing him pain.

She hated seeing him like this.

"Doctor, please, tell me what I can do." She offered.

He smiled softly, closing his eyes briefly, he looked at her again, "You can't Donna, I'm sorry. I'm the only one that can do something, and I wish I didn't have to, but…" He trailed off and started back to work.

She watched him; hating every gesture of his hands, every movement of his eyes from the screen to the controls and back. She didn't know what he was doing, but in every since of the word, she hated it.

The Doctor stopped immediately, whispering a tiny 'There' to himself, and walked over to Donna, taking her hand in his and with the other pushed back a lock of hair from her face, smiling softly to her.

"Doctor," She began leaning into his touch, "please tell me what is going on?" She was pleading now, begging for him to tell her anything.

He brought her closer to him, feeling her body tense and relax in intervals, as she stared up at him with utter love for him, such a thing he was sure he was not worthy of. With what he had done he knew that for a fact.

The Doctor closed his eyes, kissing her softly on the forehead, still not answering her question.

He tugged her on hand, turning her back towards the hallway.

"Where are…"

Donna didn't finish her question; the look in the Doctor's eyes answered it for her.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4--warning Adult Themes**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. **

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The Doctor never imagined that he would be making love to Donna in such a way. He imagined, on more than one occasion, that their first time would be more romantic; couple candles, soft music, maybe some alcohol of some kind.

Not like this, not quick and frantic.

He loved her, by the gods he did; and now he was finally with her, which for her was not unlike the many nights that she and his alternate self had shared, he was sure.

That was the worst part of it all.

Donna groaned loudly, her hands clasped on his shoulders as they flipped over, him looking up at her as they moved together. On of his hands on her hip the over pushed her hair back and pulled her down to him, kissing her.

There were only a handful of moments that had made him completely happy; he could count them on both hands and have fingers left over. But, this moment; this wonderful, unbelievable, unexplainable moment was the only one he could think about.

Every bit of him felt pain and amazing at the same time, and all he wanted was to make her feel the same.

She was kissing his neck, nibbling on his ear and all the while whispering endearments; words that made his chest tighten, it felt like her had a stone in his gut. It felt almost hard to breath, and if not for the fact that he was a Time Lord; he would probably have passed out.

His arms wrapped around her body, pulling her closer still, wanting to become one; wanting to join with her more than physically.

Donna lifted her head, giving him access to plant kisses under her chin, licking her throat; the taste of her was exquisite…like vanilla and honey.

She moan faintly; barely heard above his grunts as they kept their rhythm and thrusts drawn out, wanting the moment to last as long as possible. Her hands roamed over his chest and slim frame, cupping his face, staring into his eyes; not ashamed, but in love.

Her blue eyes melted into his brown ones; the shape of her lips molded perfectly to his own.

Clichés be damned, there were nothing more than a perfect fit.

Wanting to gain the upper hand once more, he rolled them both over; speeding up the pace, wanting both of them to fall over the edge at the same time.

He hated himself just a tad, he wished that he didn't need to rush so; he hoped that she wouldn't see this as just a animalistic act, with no emotion behind each movement.

The Doctor grasped at her, tightening his embrace as he thrust harder inside her; causing her to arch pressing her body to his. He smiled down at her, kissing her skin; tasting salt from the sweat and recognizable flavor of her.

And before he knew it, it was all over. His first time with her would be his last, he had acted purely on instinct and the result was one of the best moments of his life.

He felt stupid thinking like this, so…domestic. But he couldn't help but ponder over what life, a normal life, would be like with Donna. The two of them and a happy little life.

The Doctor rolled off of her, relaxing on his so he could continue to look at her.

"You're beautiful." He whispered.

She turned her head towards him, her blue eyes glowing in the dark; her chest rising and falling with each breath. Perspiration clinging to her pale skin, red hair plastered around her face. The gentle shade of red blossoming on her cheeks by his compliment.

"So," Donna sniffed lightly as she too turned towards him, "are you feeling better now?"

He tried to pull his 100 watt smile, but he only managed to give her about half and he nodded anyway.

She smirked at him, her fingers pushing back his hair from his forehead, "Now, are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

The Doctor's eyes blinked in confusion, hoping that she wouldn't peruse the matter, but if she were anyone else than Donna than he would have believed that.

"Come on, Doctor, really; what are you thinking about?"

He grinned, "I'm thinking that it's been a long time since I've shared a bed with someone, someone I..." He sighed.

Donna's hand moved her to the crook of his neck, her fingers gently massaging his muscles, she shook her head, "I don't understand, I mean, we've…"

He stopped her with a kiss, feeling his emotions bubbling to the surface, but for want of self-control and to not stain her face with his tears, he thought of something else; her lips on his.

"Something's not right." She said the instant they broke away, "That's it, innit?"

The Doctor closed his eyes again, shifting so that his back rested against the headboard, pulling her body up her head on his chest. The double heartbeats pounding in her ear.

"I can't put anything past you, huh?" He whispered, looking down onto the top of her head.

Her face turned up, searching for anything that would give her answers to his confusion.

"You know, when we are like this, and you look at me like that, I can almost see the universe in your eyes." Her voice was smooth and almost hypnotic.

The Doctor stared at her, as if all thought left his head; she had the gift for that, to suck all breath from his body; and leave him as nothing but a shell. And if not for the present circumstances, he would have stayed like that until he gained his bearings.

He wanted nothing more than to make love to her again.

He looked up into the darkness, trying to find some way out of this; a small tear leaked from his eye and rolled down his cheek, the Doctor found no strength to wipe it away.

"Please, love, please."

The Doctor looked down again, watching as her face registered what she saw, "We have to go back to Xfenus."

She tilted her head, "Wha? Why?"

He cupped her cheek, "I have to set it all back."

Donna shook her head, "'Set it back'? Set what back?"

He ran through ever explanation and picked the one that would least confuse her, although he had done a grand job of that already.

"You said that something wasn't right, well you were…right. Remember earlier when the TARDIS started shaking?"

She nodded silently.

The Doctor swallowed harshly, "Well, we had managed to get in direct contact of the eclipse that had occurred, and somehow our timelines were melded."

"Wait—our timelines? Wha…I don't understand." She sat up her face level with his, equal to his eyes.

He nodded, "I'm not surprised." He muttered, "I'm not the Doctor that you know, you see me and the Donna I know never were together. I wanted…but, no. I'm afraid that I have to set this all right."

Her eyes filled with panic, "What are you talking about?"

The Doctor shook his head, "I don't know how to explain it any further than that, Donna. Our timelines were crossed, so I set the TARDIS to go back to Xfenus for another eclipse."

She took a shuttering breath as she looked away from him, "So answer me this, were together here, but not for you…I'm still in your life though right?"

He licked his lips, tilting her head up back to him, "No."

Donna gasped, "Am I dead."

"No."

"Well that's good," She whispered, "But, I would never go back home…you must have done something, am I right?"

"As I said before, I can't put anything past you." The Doctor replied.

"Okay, but why go back?" She grabbed his hand, "What we have is good, yes? This is a good place to be."

He sighed, "Of course it is, Donna, I would want to stay like this forever if I could, but I can't. That's not what can happen, it shouldn't have happened."

Tears leaked from her eyes, "I don't under…"

She was cut off when a soundly wail filled the room, scaring them both.

The Doctor knew that the eclipse would take place soon, their window would be limited and he needed to get the TARDIS in place.

"Come on, let's get dressed." He spoke calmly, he wasn't going to betray what he was feeling, it would be easier in the end.

Donna watched him climb out of bed, not believing what she had heard, but it was the Doctor; he had lied to her in the past, but she knew on some level that his words had been true. She wondered what would she be greeted with when he was gone, would she have him again or would she been home in the end.

They dressed in silence, there were no words that could be spoken to ease the tension, nor persuade the Doctor's mind.

They walked hand in hand to the console room; the Doctor could feel her shaking in their grasp.

He reluctantly let go her hand when he had to set the TARDIS in place of the oncoming eclipse.

Donna watched him work, thinking of anything she could do or say.

The TARDIS groan and whirled stopping almost immediately.

"We're here." The Doctor announced more to himself, the realization that he was actually going through with this amazed him on so many levels.

He turned to her and held out his hand to her, "Come here."

She came and grasped him, letting her to be pulled up close to him, she could feel his body tense knowing that this was probably one of the hardest decisions he had ever have to make. Or it could just be her ego talking and her wild sense of imagination.

"I wish I could say something to you." She whispered into his ear.

He pulled her back and smiled down at her, "You're wonderful, you know that don't?"

Donna ducked her head, but the Doctor lifted it back up again he wanted to see her face, if not for the last time.

The Doctor kissed the corner of her mouth before resting his forehead against hers, his eyes close, trying to savor each second.

There was a beep from the monitor, but the Doctor didn't pull away, instead he grasped onto her tighter.

Donna sighed, "How long have we got?"

The Doctor chuckled sarcastically at her question; déjà vu was just loving him today.

"About a minute, or so." He answered, feeling his shoulder become damp, and hearing her sniffle softly.

Holding her at arms length and running his thumb over the streaks of tears on her blotchy cheeks, "Now, Donna, why are you crying?"

She smiled at the tone of his voice, calm and almost cheery.

"I hate to you leave you." Donna replied.

"But, I really must say…good night, sweetheart, goodnight." The Doctor grinned, watching as confusion spread across her face.

He shook his head, "No one listens to the classics anymore." He muttered.

Donna looked away shaking her head, "That's not what I meant."

"And what did you mean, Donna?" The Doctor asked, whispering her name.

She gulped loudly, her tears adamant even though she tried to keep them back, she could seem to manage, "I just don't…don't want you to be alone."

There was another beep and she pulled him back again, as if holding on for dear life.

The Doctor shook with emotion, knowing that it would be soon now, planting a kiss on the side of her head, he bent down just low enough to whisper in her ear.

"I love you, Donna."

Tears leaked from his eyes, rolling off his cheeks, listening to the TARDIS telling him that the eclipse was almost in place.

The ship began to shake and tumble about as the TARDIS felt the bombardment of the sun's rays, the Doctor and Donna fell to the ground, landing on their side.

The Doctor closed his eyes, his arms holding onto her, he groaned loudly; the metal grating pushing into his hip bone.

The TARDIS stopped moving and hummed sadly to him, letting him know that they were safe and sound once more.

He opened his eyes and felt his emotions started to get the better of him once again, his arms were empty and Donna was gone.

The Doctor stood slowly, he felt tired.

He leaned over the controls and stared at the buttons and levers, not knowing what to do next.

For the first time, he was lost.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Last chapter for your enjoyment.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who**

**This chapter is dedicated to angry penguin, thank you so much for commenting dear, it has meant so much to me!!**

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He was alone.

It was not the first time nor would it be the last time, yet this felt strangely worse than all the past times put together.

The faint trace of her smell still lingered in the air and on his clothes.

It hurt; he could not deny that this time. Before, when he had left her the first time, they had been mates, best of friends.

Now, he had given up a lover, and she had given him so much more, more than he deserved.

He had told her he loved her, but it wasn't enough; he longed for something he could never, ever get back.

He had argued with himself long and hard, wondering if he was doing the right thing.

'If you love someone, the best thing you can do is let them go.'

Wasn't that how it was supposed to be?

And he did love Donna, so back she went.

The Doctor hoped that somehow she and his alternate self would be still together; happy and in love. It was the least she deserved.

He found himself sacrificing everything nowadays; and love was no exception. It would pain him for a while, but he would get over it.

He thought of Rose then, he had given her up and he loved her long ago. Didn't he? She had been in his hearts, but now she resided deep within him, no she was apart of him; like all of his past companions were.

However, Donna was above them all for the time being. And she, like Rose, would sink back with the rest of them. Being remembered only when he least expected it.

That was how his life, that was who he was.

He grieved and moved on. Too much was out there to sit alone in the TARDIS—remembering past days, lost friends. Ones that could never been seen again.

The Doctor felt sick, physically sick; he wished for a distress signal, anything to get his mind off the fact that she was really gone. That his bed still held her warmth on the sheets.

And yet, all was silent.

He couldn't recall a time before this that it was he that wanted trouble to come to him.

The Doctor let out a loud sigh, tears still shone in his eyes but he controlled them to stay at bay.

He clicked buttons, searching any part of the universe that was better than here.

The screen flashed through random places, passing Earth for a moment, before moving onto a new place. The Doctor switched back to Earth, staring at the monitor and the wonderful green and blue.

6 billion humans resided on her surface and she was one of them.

A smile drifted upon his face, he couldn't help it. Just thinking about her had that effect on him.

She was alive, and that was all that matter to him.

None of his companions stayed with him for very long, he should have known that she was no different.

But, she was different, wasn't she?

'Yes,' The Doctor thought, 'She certainly was…is."

He had had a chance of happiness, real honest to goodness happiness and he being all Time Lord only saw the messed up timelines that needed corrected and nothing more.

He really hated himself sometimes.

"Well," He said aloud, "That's that."

The Doctor set the TARDIS for the vortex once more, he would think of somewhere to go later. With a last look at the monitor, he clicked another button and the screen went blank.

He turned away from the console, taking out a watch; from the moment Donna had stepped back into his life to the moment she had left once again, only a couple of hours had past by.

'That had to be some kind of record.' The Doctor thought bitterly, stuffing the device back into the folds of his pockets.

His stomach growled, telling him to eat; his head was telling him to get some sleep and his hearts were begging him to go and see her.

But, in the end his stomach won the battle.

He entered the kitchen, groaning softly; his mess was still upon the floor; glass and sugar mixed together on the tile.

Shaking his head he decided to clean up first before getting something to eat.

The Doctor had just managed to finish sweeping the sugar and shards into the bin just as his ears pricked up. He could have sworn that he heard ringing.

The TARDIS moaned to him, letting him know that it was the mobile.

"What are you now? My answering service?" He murmured to his ship as he set aside the broom, as she nudged his mind softly.

He jogged into the control room, the phone still ringing; it must be important, he speculated.

Opening the mobile he greeted with an obvious faux gladness, "Well, Dr. Jones, what catastrophe is plaguing Earth now?"

"Uh—Doctor?"

The Time Lord stopped for a moment, the voice sounded familiar, it surely wasn't Martha.

"Wilfred?" He ventured.

"Doctor." The older man breathed, almost with relief.

"Wilf…how did you get this…never mind." There had to be a reason Mr. Mott was calling him and it had to be because of Donna.

The Doctor almost whispered to Wilfred when he asked what was wrong, his mind circling around so many scenarios, but one kept recurring back to him. One that was the worse one out of them all; she was dead. She had remembered something and now she was gone.

Believing that more than then anything he began to feel sick again.

"Doctor, I…I think you should come."

The Doctor swallowed, it was worse, she wasn't dead yet; she was dying. Her family wanted him to be there, or maybe it was Donna herself that asked for him.

Why? He couldn't say.

He shook his head, he couldn't say goodbye to her twice in one day, it would destroy him.

The Doctor couldn't help but think of Donna lying in her bed; her mind screaming in pain and her screaming for him.

So beyond what his head was telling him, it was actually his hearts that won.

"When are you?" The Time Lord asked.

Wilf told him the date and the exact time he was calling at.

Hanging up the phone, he took a shaky breath; her grandfather had told him the terrifying truth, she didn't have long.

The TARDIS landed just outside the Noble home, and just like last time, rain was falling upon them. The Doctor took that as the ultimate omen of bad luck.

He knocked on the door briskly, wanting nothing more than to throw the door open, but it wasn't long until it opened and he was stunned at who answered.

"Martha?" He looked past her and tried to see into the house, "What are you doing here?"

She only smiled, "Sylvia called me." Her voice was soft and calm, the complete opposite of what he was feeling.

"How…how is she?" He asked, fearing her answer.

Martha pulled her coat over her arms, nodding her head, "I suggest you go in. I'll see you later." She past by him, patting her hand on his upper arm, heading out into the rain and towards her car.

The Doctor didn't watch her go as he was met with Wilf in the hallway, his hands together and his body tense.

"Doctor…"

The Time Lord entered, closing the door, his eyes frantic for any sign of her.

"Donna, where's Donna." The Doctor asked, looking at him.

Wilfred placed his hands on the Doctor's shoulders, "It's…I don't know what happened, she went to sleep after she came home and woke up a couple hours later looking for you."

"So," The Doctor swallowed hard, "she does remember. Where is she?"

"In the living room." He answered.

The Doctor walked down the hall quickly, but he stopped a couple of times, not wanting to really see what he was expecting.

Why would she been in the living room was beyond him, he found it ironic that she would be on her 'deathbed' in the same room that he she last touched him.

However, he stopped in his tracks when Sylvia appeared outside the room, she closed the door behind her gently, and he felt his hearts shopped. His throat felt tight, as he looked into the mother's eyes.

He had been too late; behind that door was Donna's body, motionless and dead. She had left him in the worst possible way.

The Doctor had promised himself to not fall apart in front of families of his companions, it was always an eternal vow for himself, but in lieu of the situation he could feel the warm tears welling up.

But, Donna's mother shook her head, she came up and placed her hands on his shoulders, "Doctor, she's fine; Martha said that she's okay."

He could hear the words, but it took a moment to process the information. He shook his head this time, "What? Donna's alive?"

She smiled, "Yes, she's sleeping right now; you should go in and check her on her yourself."

The Doctor felt his hearts slow down back to normal, he took a breath; closing his eyes his mind reeling with happiness, so much that the joy was almost indescribable.

Sylvia stepped aside and watched him as he opened the door and going inside.

His eyes fell upon her, her head resting on a pillow her red hair splaying across her shoulders; her face turned upright, and if her eyes were open she would have seen him.

The tears he held back fell down his cheek; and unlike before in the TARDIS, these tears were happy and bewildered.

He knelt down to her, one of his hands coming up and stroking her cheek, her warmth proving her existence; this was really happening.

She flinched slightly, his cool fingers disrupting her sleep, but he refused to move his hand, he needed the contact.

Donna turned her head, facing him and slowly she opened her eyes, smiling when she saw his face. As if she knew exactly who it was, and not surprised by his presence.

"Hello, Doctor." She said softly, tears sparkling in her eyes as well.

He quietly chuckled, his happiness spilling over his cheeks, knowing that her family had joined them, but he didn't care; Donna was here, she knew him, and it was all he needed.

The Doctor took her hand in his, kissing it softly; knowing that nothing could be better than this.

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